


just for a moment

by Tazmaster



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), depending on how you read it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 22:55:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15895812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tazmaster/pseuds/Tazmaster
Summary: In which a frustrated Bruce causes Thor to reflect on his own feelings.





	just for a moment

It was during a briefing meeting that Bruce suddenly had enough. He didn’t know what he was doing wrong. Frustrated, he abruptly got up from his chair and left the room, cutting Tony off mid rant. He could feel everyone watching him as he left, making his way to the only place where he could clear his head.

The lab was messy from his and Tony’s attempts at beating Thanos. Sticky notes were scattered about on failures next to tall piles of parts and wires. There was a low hum of electricity from the surrounding equipment, which Bruce found extremely comforting at times like these. He sat down at a stool, picking up a nearby book on the lab table. He fiddled with the bookmarks he’d placed in it until he found a suitable page to stare at.

Thor tiptoed around Bruce ever since he came back to Earth, as if he was waiting for Hulk to jump out at any moment. He remembered seeing Thor listening to the other Avengers, nodding his head whenever one of them offered an idea. During their talk, the god would sneak looks at him when he thought Bruce wasn’t looking.

He dropped his book on the table, a loud thud echoing in the lab. Then, he reached for a notebook and began to write mindlessly. Writing grounded him before his mind could take flight. It was a small, but necessary distraction for him, one that he had developed growing up.

Bruce wanted to grab Thor’s shoulders and shake him, to ask him what he was doing wrong. He’d hoped that their time on Sakaar would have changed Thor’s mind about Bruce and Hulk, but he was wrong. Whenever people would look at Bruce, they would still only see Hulk and only Hulk.

After a few pages of mindless notetaking, Bruce slipped into a well deserved sleep, resting his head in his arms.

* * *

 

Thor hoped Bruce wouldn’t be in the lab, even though that’s exactly why he was going there. He owed Bruce an apology, he knew he had walked out because of him. It wasn’t right to avoid Bruce just because he didn’t understand his own feelings towards him.

When he entered, he saw the scientist slumped over a lab table. Thor’s heart hammered in his chest, filled with worry until he realized that Bruce wasn’t in danger, but rather sleeping peacefully. The slow rise and fall of his body brought a strange comfort for Thor.

He carefully approached him, coming up behind him and eyeing the notebook over his shoulder.

Underneath the haphard bullet points were Bruce ideas on how to contain the Time Stone. There were also some small doodles near them. Thor picked up the pencil and next to his notes wrote:

_Wonderful ideas. - THOR_

He smiled to himself, putting the pencil back down. He looked at Bruce again. His face was peaceful and content. Part of Thor felt like he was intruding, but then he wrapped an arm around Bruce, leaning down and picking him up from the stool. The man let out a small whine before resting his head against Thor’s chest.

Thor could have kissed him there, but he didn’t.

Instead, he made his way out of the lab and to Bruce’s room, making sure he was as delicate as possible.

“FRIDAY,” He whispered when he approached Bruce’s door. It clicked open and Thor made his way inside.

The first thing Thor took notice of was the purple sheets on Bruce’s bed, accompanied by stacks of books and papers on a nearby desk. There was a slight glow in the room from a small wall light. He gently tucked Bruce in, making sure that he didn’t wake him. He then kneeled down to take a seat on the floor, resting his back on the mattress and letting out a soft sigh.

“Thor?” Bruce whispered, almost inaudible.

Thor paused for a moment, before replying with a “Hm?”

Bruce’s hand peeked out from under the covers and dropped next to Thor. He took his hand, kissing Bruce’s knuckles softly. Thor didn’t know what he was doing here. He didn’t have a right to be here, to be this close to Bruce, but he stayed anyway. He held onto Bruce’s hand and he closed his eyes.

* * *

 

The ship rocked as they approached the bridge. Valkyrie drove it confidently, surging the ship forward effortlessly through flying debris.

After the two began to ramble excitedly, Bruce felt the ship tilt too far and Thor stumbled on top of him. In their shared excitement, the god took it as an opportunity to kiss Bruce briefly on the lips. It was a taste of a future after the battle, a wish of something more.

With a jolt, a huge piece of panel abruptly crashed into the side of the ship, spinning it out of control. He felt the floor go out beneath him, letting go of Thor and falling into nothing.

Suddenly, Bruce saw Hulk gripping onto the seats of the Quinjet, roaring in worry. It was as if he was peering into the window of someone’s house, distant and so separate from himself, but in some way that was still him. Bruce turned away from the small window of memory, daring to face the darkness.

He saw Thor in the distance, who in return, glanced at him over his shoulder. Bruce could see the familiar sparks of a blue and white crackling around him, dripping with energy. Despite this, he approached Thor, his feet felt as if he was walking in cement. He could almost reach out to touch him when Thor looked at him again, the lightning dancing across his skin. He took a step back, only this time, he fell and dissolved into dust.

Bruce gasped for air, immediately sitting up. He gripped his bed sheets tightly, practically pulling them from the mattress underneath him.

Thor was not there, which made his chest feel heavier and his head feel lighter. He wondered if he’d just imagined holding Thor’s hand or if that was just another dream that he would never live, until Thor walked out of his bathroom. Bruce’s heart beat him back to reality.

“Bruce?” Thor shouted, rushing over to him. The sun filtering in from the window framed his face beautifully. The light caught in his amber colored eye for a brief moment, almost as if it was glowing. He felt Thor’s arms wrap around him, pulling him into his lap and rocking him back and forth.

“The sun's going down...the sun’s going down now...” He repeated softly into his ear, running his hand through Bruce’s hair. “I won’t hurt you anymore.”

He wished that were true, because Bruce knew deep down that Thor would continue to do so. However, Bruce relished every second he was in his arms, as if it would be the last. If that were the case, he had to be okay with that.

Suddenly, the sun grew dim and dark clouds rolled in, quickly covering up the morning. A soft rain began to fall, drumming on the windows methodically. With this, Bruce finally calmed down, his breathing no longer a strangled mess. His entire body relaxed into Thor’s embrace.

“Why are you here?” He finally let out, quiet but a touch demanding. Bruce pulled away from him slightly to look at him. Thor stopped running his hand in his hair, instead letting it sit on Bruce’s leg.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’ve been ignoring me ever since you got back.”

A pause.

Bruce took another hit to his heart.

“And I just---” He put his hands up to his face, taking a deep breath. “I don’t know what I did. You can barely look at me anymore, as if I’m hurting you just by existing.” He heard Thor sigh ever so slightly.

“I remember telling Rocket that I had nothing more to lose and truly believing it, like a fool,” He started, his voice dropped low. “But when I came back to Midgard I realized that I could still lose everything. And that everything was you.” Bruce closed his eyes, laying his head on Thor’s chest. He could hear Thor’s rapid heartbeat in time with his own.

“I love you.” Thor whispered, which took Bruce’s breath away in an instant. It was unsure and weary, but just hearing it was enough to send him whirling. “I think--- sometimes a little too much and that’s the scariest part.”

“I just thought that if I got too close, you’d--- I didn’t…” He trailed off into a sigh, his head leaning back on the headboard. “Bruce, I’m really no good with words.”

Bruce sat up, taking his head off Thor’s chest. He looked at him. “You’re an asshole.” He mumbled, seeing the god’s eyes fill with worry.

“I--- Yeah.” Thor let out, giving him a pained smile. It didn’t last long before Bruce leaned forward, grabbing at Thor’s t-shirt and pulled him into a deep kiss. He felt Thor’s hand on his back, bringing them closer together.

It was for a sweet and brief moment that Bruce forgot about everything around him. Kissing him was like falling, it left you breathless and scared, with Bruce’s heart beating out of his chest. He pulled back from the kiss to look at Thor again. He had the stupidest grin on his face, staring lovingly back at Bruce.

“What are you looking at?” Bruce teased, biting his lip into a smile and pushing Thor away. He moved to get out of bed, but the god pulled his arm back. He took Bruce’s face in his hands, his thumb running over his cheek.

“I’m looking at the most beautiful being in the galaxy,” He said under his breath, examining Bruce’s face. Bruce felt Thor’s words hush warmly over his lips.

“I don’t know about the galaxy, but---” Thor cut him off with slightly more eager kiss.

“I meant what I said.” He replied, pulling away to place chaste kisses on Bruce’s neck. Bruce giggled in response, feeling Thor’s beard tickle his skin.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! comments and feedback are always appreciated <3
> 
> check out my [twitter](http://twitter.com/tazisthemaster) and [tumblr](http://xandars.tumblr.com)
> 
> edit: thank you for over 100 kudos! :')


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